2008+Miscellaneous

Making a Difference By Sally Neill Bridge “Where are my students headed in their future? College, vocational school, work, the military? Do they even need any of this literary analysis, literary terms, and essay writing? They can’t read, and they can’t write. I told the department head at Christmas that three fourths of my students couldn’t read. He told me, ‘Sally, it’s not that bad. 54% of our students passed the Kansas Reading Assessment.’ In other words **only half** of my students couldn’t read instead of three fourths. But I was right. In May my regular freshmen took the MAP test and two thirds to three fourths scored so poorly that they will be placed in eXtreme Literacy for next year. I wish I knew that what I was teaching was the right thing.” I wrote this journal entry in May at the pre-institute meeting for the South Central Kansas Writing Project. I was just completing my first year teaching at my new urban school and my first year teaching English. I have taught before but at a different school and district, a different subject, and never with such low students both academically and behaviorally. By the end of this year I was agonizing over whether I was teaching the right things, in the right way, and if any of it would make a difference to these students. In May I could only safely say two things about my first year of teaching: first, that I survived the year (two English teachers left mid year last year walking out on Friday and not returning to work on Monday), and secondly, that I had built a positive relationship with many of my students. I have spent the summer reading, reflecting, and now participating in the SCK Writing Project. I’m close to being ready to start the school year with renewed enthusiasm and a modified approach to teaching English. As simplistic as this may sound, I know that my two priorities will be to teach my students to read and to write. I questioned last year whether it was important for struggling readers to engage in literary analysis and to learn the literary terms listed in the standards. I also questioned whether it was important for them to learn to write a five paragraph literary analysis essay. If my students were not going to be going to college, would it even be beneficial? By and large I have resolved these issues in my own mind. First of all the district curriculum and state standards require that I teach it. But more importantly, I believe that anything I can do to encourage critical thinking on the part of my students, to derive meaning from the written words on the page, and to write in a meaningful way will develop their minds and skills and help them become contributing members of society no matter what route they take after high school. A democracy requires an educated populace that can think critically about the world around them, and one that can successfully communicate their ideas to other citizens. One of the major changes I will be making in the teaching of reading and writing is to connect the two more purposefully by having students write in response to their reading while they read. I believe that writing about the text in their own words is absolutely essential. I plan to have them write reading journals, take notes, summarize, paraphrase, draw pictures, write questions, make charts, participate in an author/reader’s chair, and any technique that actually requires them to actively engage with the written text rather than just sitting and listening to me or another classmate or the CD read it for them. Although my students have a huge need to understand the text at a basic comprehension level, I have come to terms with the idea that learning the literary terms and studying how authors craft their writing can improve their comprehension and might even help them become better writers. The second major change I will be making in my classroom is a more developed plan for writing which includes informal journal writing, breaking the formal essay writing into smaller chunks, and including a variety of types of writing. I will continue daily journal writing to build fluency in writing and will expand the journal writes by asking students to write a longer piece from one of their favorite writes. In addition, I will break the formal essay writing into smaller chunks. I did a reasonably good job of teaching students the five paragraph essay last year. However, I would like to break the process into smaller, more manageable chunks from the very first week of school including a focus on one paragraph, sentence structure within a single paragraph, a thesis statement, and a three point outline before they ever tackle their first essay. I would also like to incorporate a variety of types of writing of a more creative and personal nature in which students can become more involved. Hopefully, if they have an opportunity to write about what they know and feel, the sense of creativity and voice will transfer to their essay writing. In addition I will be asking students to write reflections on their own reading and writing process to help them develop an awareness of what they have learned and how they learned it. Finally, throughout all types of writing that my students engage in, I will be modeling my own writing process and sharing my own writing to foster a community of writers. I still will not know where my students are headed in their future whether it is to post secondary education, work, or the military. If last year is any indication, my students will have incredible academic deficits. What I do know is that I will have them for one year, and I will try everything I know to enable them to become better readers and writers and to make a difference for their future.

**"Sam’s Sandwich"** Lesson Plan  by Shirley Crosby Read the book “Sam’s Sandwich” by David Pelham to the class. Then brainstorm all the things you could put on a sandwich. Put items in groups (breads, meats, vegetables, and condiments). Have students take out their journals to prepare for a writing assignment. Explain that in some stories authors use sequence to write detailed instructions for how to do things and how things happened. Instruct students on how to fashion a graphic organizer to plan the writing. Finally, read the writing prompt to them as they try to imagine their favorite sandwich.

If you could make a sandwich any way you wish, Would you build it with some kind of cheese, peanut butter, or tuna fish? Would you load it up with vegetables piled really tall? Or cut off all the crust to make yours very small? Would you use three kinds of meat and bread that’s very fancy, Or slather it with dressing flavored kind of Ranchy? Would you douse it in a keg of catsup and use mayo to embellish, Or smear it with a smidge of mustard and a bit of relish? Perhaps you like pastrami on rye or turkey on sour dough. To design the perfect sandwich you’re the only one who’d know. My perfect sandwich may not be the same as any others’ and yours may not be like mine, your father’s or your mother’s. So write a detailed recipe with all the things you wish, include the best ingredients to make your favorite dish. Be sure to tell all of the steps don’t leave us in suspense The text structure you need to use will put each in sequence. This lesson lets students practice the text structure of sequence, a tested reading standard in third grade. This prompt addresses something they all have in common. Everyone has to eat. While it hits a common thread, it will also show them that different is okay. Having the list from brainstorming will help the struggling students to be successful. During writing students could use tan construction paper for the bread and paper plates to make their sandwich on a plate and publish the recipe on a bulletin board.
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Seven Prophecies Retold by JoAnne Grandstaff, M.A. (RESIZE PHOTO TO 1/4 PAGE AND CROP TO ELIMINATE DATE AND GRASS AT BOTTOM; LINE 1 BOLD, LEFT JUSTIFY; LINE 2 BOLD, CENTER; LINE 3 BOLD, RIGHT JUSTIFY; ITALICIZE CENTERED ITEMS THROUGHOUT; INDENT PARAGRAPHS, BLANK LINE BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS)

Each of us has a purpose, or so some believe. Some go to their roots to seek their purpose; others seek knowledge from books. Still others know their purpose like a gift. In 2008, the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri reside in northeast Kansas on separate reservations. Over several hundred years of negotiations with various entities resulted in setting aside these four reservations. However, the reason these tribal people now live in Kansas has more to do with their belief systems than treaty negotiations. The following story stands as an attempt to relate a portion of that indigenous belief system to modern Americans. Several years ago, following a fast in which very little sleep and no food or water impeded the truth, a story surfaced and now needs to be told. For two years, that story formed itself into words so that it could be shared. After others had heard it, they knew how it would be. The Medicine People, they knew. They knew a Storyteller was among them. Some of them even knew in a different way; without hearing it; they knew the story, too. That story may not change the world, but it might help. This particular story recounts a tiny portion of a people’s history. The italicized words in the following account were transcribed directly from an audio tape made in 1997 by Nowatin, respected Potawatomi/Kickapoo spiritual leader and healer. His English name is Dale Thomas. The account that follows exists on its own merit, not owned by any one individual; nevertheless contemporary copyright restrictions apply. Some believe that if a person tries to appropriate something that cannot truly be possessed, the power of the story-gift will change into something negative and possibly harmful. Imagine that you are sitting around a sacred fire, called //misho skodanci//. The reason this fire is sacred is that it was started in a good way by striking flint against a rock without paper or anything to pollute it, not even the breath from human lungs. The fire doesn’t like to be alone preferring people, but not rude ones who go to sleep while he burns. This kind of fire will carry prayers and offerings where they need to go. People always show respect and follow certain rules such as being careful and not turning their backs toward it; people always go around the fire to the left and walk, never run, all the way around it, like walking around an old grandfather. One very powerful fire that was started over 800 years ago still burns in Oklahoma. No one except the fireman puts anything into the fire. His job is to keep the fire going. If the fireman needs help, he’ll ask for it. He chooses the wood that goes into it, too. Before he builds the fire, he goes into the woods two or three days ahead, and in a good way, not in a hurry or goofing around, but listening carefully, paying attention all the time, looking in the timber for just the right kind of wood, seasoned so it smokes only when he wants it to smoke, like a signal. A fire like this makes the truth come out. The fireman learned these things from his childhood. // I have wanted to relate these prophecies for some time, // // share with you events of the past, the present, and the future. //    A long time ago, they say we lived nearer to the ocean, maybe even along the coast, a very long time ago when the people may even have been bigger, too, like giants compared to what we look like now. There were only a few back then, like now, small in number. That makes each person very important in the grand scheme of things. Every person has a task, a job to do. When someone asks for something in a sacred way, we feel obliged to do what we can. We never really know why someone comes to us. We have to look at their asking as an opportunity for us to complete our task on this Grandmother Earth. This request is not ordinary, like a loan of money or something. Not like that at all. This sacred way is when they offer //samah//, sacred tobacco grown in a special way just for offerings, and ask for help. Maybe they need a sweat or doctoring or a //che-bah-quah//, an offering ceremony for those who have passed on. If it is asked, it will be given. That’s why we always have to be careful what we ask for. We will most likely always get it. Then, when we do receive it, we might realize that it was not what we wanted in the first place. That’s why it’s best to ask for good things in a general “it’s-out-of-my-hands” sort of style. When we get too specific, the whole process can backfire. This preface, it sounds a little scary. The intent is to remove the nonchalant attitude that pervades most of daily life in the 21st century CE, to think in a way that may not feel comfortable at first. The experience of acquiring Indigenous Knowledge adds a perspective that will be missed unless taken with careful consideration, given time to ponder, and retained in a purposeful manner. // This process has been in place for centuries. // // The accounts of our own history had been handed down through ages of time // // by our grandfathers and grandmothers. //   It used to be that all of this would have been said in the people’s language, our //nish-nah-bah// speech which seems to have fallen asleep for a while. Maybe it got tired. It was well used for a long time. If that ancient language could wake up, the knowledge would be more complete because some of the concepts that follow just don’t come out right in English. It would be helpful if everyone knew all the languages. We just do the best we can do. // They said our people lived a full and peaceful existence // // in an area now known as the northeastern coast of North America // // where it has been said that if one would climb the highest mountain // // and look in the four directions, // // one could not see the end of our nish-nah-bah nation. //   Today the scholars say the //nish-nah-bah// people were hunters and gatherers. Those scholars cannot understand how it was to live in a way so harmonious with all of creation that every form of life depended on every other form, and each season brought both joy and sorrow. Everything was connected in such a way that evidence of the Creator was apparent. The game in the timber sometimes got too close and almost came right in to camp to give of themselves for food. The fish climbed one on top of the other in the rivers, so thick as if creating a bridge across to the other side. Beautiful songs from many birds filled the trees, and the bird’s eggs filled baskets that people had made while singing songs. Everything people needed was provided in the natural environment. When things got out of balance, what we now refer to as naturally occurring phenomena put everything back into balance. // . . . there was an abundance of everything, ample food was supplied by grandmother earth. The rivers and sea of the east coast contained many fish. //    The people had a connection to Grandmother Earth. It has been said that people could understand things better then like how to use the plants for food and medicines. They say the plants could talk to the people who would listen. They say there are four parts to a plant, and there are four plants that complement each other growing near one another. It used to be that when the life had to be taken from an animal, an offering was given for that life. Seldom is that done any more. They used to have songs for that sort of thing. Everyone who hunted knew those songs and sang them. The same was true of taking a plant, a song was sung. There were many more songs then, songs to create baskets by, songs to soothe a baby to sleep, and songs to give thanks. The people who lived in that way, in harmony with their surroundings, gave away or sold their right to live on the land and to enjoy its richness. The people agreed to move away and to let light-skinned people from far away live in their place. It stands to reason that something must have prompted the migration. The following account attempts to explain what may have happened to help the People arrive at a decision to emigrate west. By most accounts, the //nish-nah-bah// people lived near the Great Lakes areas, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, even Minnesota by the late 1500's. The old stories include references to coastal living. There is a story, a collection of stories, about Seven Prophets from another place and time. What the prophets told the People may have prompted their westward migration. This is one interpretation of the Seven Prophecies. __ A prophet came to the nish-nah-bah people __. // As the first prophet had said, “If you do not move, you will be destroyed.” // // Huge gatherings of the people were held to discuss the predictions // // as it meant a migration, a journey to the west. //   The people had no reason to doubt the prophet. He had no reason to lie. What would be the point? Life was generally good. The people could not imagine how or why their condition should change. The people asked the Creator for help and guidance. It was difficult to decide to move away from their homes, but with a prediction of their destruction, it was more difficult to decide to stay. To put the situation into modern terms, the people were put between a rock and a hard place. A move would mean a disruption of their way of life. If they chose not to move, they faced the possibility of the end of their lives, not just their lifestyles. In order to convince the people that they needed to move, the people spoke to one another. In council meetings, the people listened as each stated his or her opinion. Each voice was given respect and heard until a **consensus** was reached. // In the time of the first fire, the nish-nah-bah nation would // // follow the sacred shell of the medicine lodge // // and look for a turtle-shaped island that is // // linked to the purification of earth. //   Each of the seven prophecies is called a fire. The medicine lodge is known by many //nish-nah-bah// people. The fire and the lodge are extremely powerful. No one speaks about powerful forces without great care and respect. If the prophecy would have ended with the fire and the lodge, the people would not know where to go as lodges and fires could be found in any direction. The turtle-shaped island would take the people where they needed to go. The people moved according to the prediction. They headed west, following the waterways. Travel in itself was not too challenging; leaving everything they knew was the difficult thing. Not everyone migrated westward; some stayed. Their fate is unknown today; maybe some are still there. However, according to the prophecy, they were most likely destroyed. Hopefully, they simply changed. The travelers did not hurry, but neither did they stay in one place too long. Everything they needed was carried, and it wasn’t much. Sometimes moving westward was simply a matter of lying on the ground for a rest and then getting up to go again. Everyone had to work together. The hunters had to be sure to get enough meat for everyone. Their wives and sisters had to take care of the food and the hides. Nothing went to waste. The cooks and firemen made sure everyone had sustenance if it was available. Back in that time, it usually was. Unless someone messed up and didn’t do his or her job. // Each prediction was and would be called a fire, // // referring to an era of time that would come true. //   The //nish-nah-bah// people equate the fire with the laws of the people, laws that were given from the Creator. Each nation has been given their task to perform; the //nish-nah-bah//, specifically //mshkotani//, the Keepers of the Fire, maintain the laws. Since the instructions included reference to the predictions as fires, the People view those prophecies much the same as Christians view the Ten Commandments. Today, no one lives the same way they did back then. Now for every decision made, scientific evidence must be documented to support the decision. We no longer lead our lives according to the old ways, the old stories. Whatever the reasons, almost no one lives strictly by the fire any longer. Ceremonies, annual celebrations and special dances when the fires are built still occur, but not nearly as often as before. On the other hand, some fires have been kept alive for centuries. Not too long ago, everyone kept a fireplace at their home. Selecting a location and suitable trees to use as supports demands a great deal of time and energy. Breaking the surface of Grandmother Earth entails a ceremony all its own. The site has to be chosen with great care, similar in some ways to the Chinese art of //feng shui.//. Living in any kind of a zoned land use area may by law prohibit construction or use of one of the basic necessities of //nish-nah-bah// life. To erect a fireplace, three young trees must be sacrificed and taken in a ceremonial fashion according to tradition. The trees need to be young and hard, two of them about four and half to five feet high with a top in a V-shape, the third being straight and strong enough to hold hundreds of pounds of food and cooking vessels at one time. The arrangement of the fireplace as far as cardinal directions is very important. All of this used to be rather common knowledge. The cook would always take something out from the family meal to feed the fire. When times were tough, sometimes all that would go to the fire would be a little grease. Now, we don’t even keep a fire going at our homes. The fire doesn’t even mean the same now as it did back then; it used to be an integral part of //nish-nah-bah// existence. All this information about the fire is just a little bit of the whole story. The fire helps to unite the People, even when distance separates tribal members one from another. The fire aids in recalling the stories. When People talk about the Seventh Fire or the Fifth Fire, they’re talking about these predictions. This is what the people lived by, the sacred fires. // The second prophet said, // // “You will know the second fire when you find a people camping // // by a large body of water.” // In their travels, the People found the Ojibway Nation camping on the shores of Lake Superior, thereby fulfilling the second prophecy, the Second Fire. To this day, the Ojibway have a connection to the //nish-nah-bah//. They must have lived near each other for some time as their languages share similar words. The linear time that passed includes many generations. // And in this time, the direction of the sacred shell would be lost // // and the medicine lodge would diminish in strength. //    The medicine lodges, the healing ceremonies, today consume immense amounts of time and energy, especially from the doctors or medicine men. One four-day ceremony may take six months to a year or longer to prepare. Saplings, twenty to thirty in number, give their lives to make the lodge. Where brain-tanned hides were once used to cover the lodge, now military surplus canvas suffices. Actual construction might require 40 to 50 hours to complete. Every step in the process came to the People with its own story. Told separately, each of the stories has its own healing power. The sum total, the stories together with the structure, creates a unique healing environment, incomparable with any modern Western medical practice. Today, very few retain the gift of healing, restoring physical and mental health to its most basic qualities, as it has been practiced for centuries. In order to orchestrate a successful medicine lodge ceremony, many knowledgeable people must work together in a good way. Should any one person fail to perform his or her appointed task correctly or without the proper attitude, the entire ceremony could fall short of its goal. Considering the power and strength the medicine lodge now holds, it is difficult to believe that its power was even stronger in the past. Sometimes after a ceremony, participants find that their senses have improved. Birds’ songs are more clear, leaves rustling under a rabbit’s foot cause a start. Everything seems more alive. Maybe the lodge, that really strong medicine lodge, lost its strength before the //nish-nah-bah// left the coast. Many different reasons can be surmised about the loss of the power of the medicine lodge. It is enough to know that this dire prediction did come to pass. This prophecy must have seemed as incredible to the people as leaving their homeland on the east coast. // The third prophet told the nation, // // “You will find the path to your chosen ground // // a land where food grows on water, manoomin.” // Ojibway people know wild rice, //manoomin//. They go out in their canoes and harvest it. It used to be that each family would gather enough rice to last until the next season. Now sometimes they sell it. Honest-to-goodness wild rice is very hard to get nowadays. It is one of those special foods to //nish-nah-bah. Manoomin// was given to the Ojibway people, but like everything, it is shared. Soup made with wild rice is good food. They used to store wild rice for use throughout the year. Most of the time, the women don’t go around the food when it’s their moon-time (menstrual cycle). Some people don’t believe in that way any more. Some never did. Most //nish-nah-bah// still believe in it. It has been told that the woman’s medicine at that time in her cycle is very strong. It can be stronger than the power of the water or the power of the wind, it’s that strong. The food changes if a woman handles it during her monthly cycle; it may make some people ill. It used to be that every woman had two homes, one for most of the time and one for her time. In that way, she protected her loved ones. Food is used for prayer, that clean, straight-from-the-earth food. The women in their moon-time don’t use the food offering; their prayers are so strong at that time that they even pray for others then. It has nothing to do with shame, either. Everyone used to know all this, but people forget. Sometimes even the stories go to sleep. Maybe they will awaken. // The fourth prophecy was given by two prophets who came as one and told of the coming of light-skinned people. One of the prophets said, “You will know of the future of the people by what face the white skin wears. If he comes wearing the face of true brotherhood, a wonderful change will take place for generations to come, and you will know this face of brotherhood if he carries no weapons.” // This prediction may have come before any light-skinned people came to these shores. The people have stories from long ago about interactions with other tribal nations; some of those encounters were helpful; some were not. The people had allies as well as enemies long before light-skinned people came. All of these prophecies concern change for the people. For many, change causes stress. However, if that change will bring about something wonderful, it will be welcomed. True brotherhood meant that the people would gain allies, new friends. If the light-skinned people brought positive change with them, the transformation would last for generations. The People must have eagerly anticipated the possibilities. The prophet set forth a small test within the prediction: lack of weapons. If the light-skinned people came with good intentions, they would not carry weapons with them. Even today, this “rule” is followed; people tend to trust those who do not carry weapons and conversely to distrust those who do. This part of the prophecy appears too simple, too universal, to cause much concern. However, the fourth prophecy came to the People through two prophets. The second prophet gave the People an ominous warning about another possible outcome resulting from the light-skinned people. // The other prophet added, // // “Beware because the face of brotherhood and death look alike. // // So, if they come with a weapon, beware. // // If they come in suffering, they could fool you. // // Their hearts may be filled with greed for the riches of the land. // // If they are your brothers, let them prove it, // // and you will know what face they wear // // if the waters run with poison and the fish are unfit to eat.” // The People found themselves in a complex situation again. Previously, they had to decide whether to move or not. This prophecy dealt with a trickier situation: brotherhood and death appear the same! The fourth prophecy foretold of some nasty circumstances surrounding the arrival of the newcomers. The first warning about the visitors coming with a weapon was easy enough to heed. Whenever visitors greet someone in a strange land with a weapon, survival dictates caution. Brothers do not use weapons against one another, as a rule. The light-skinned people may be deceitful. They may appear to be in need of help for lack of basic necessities, but in reality their need for personal gain at the expense of the //nish-nah-bah// people with abundantly rich natural resources prompted initial contact. The concept of a token economy had not become integrated into Native distribution systems until very recently. The idea that animal furs could equate into tokens for use in purchase of trade goods from Europe was very new in the early eighteenth century CE. However, many tribal people came to depend on trade goods in a very short period of time. The time for slow deliberation for major lifestyle changes was over, and individuals made hasty decisions that affected entire bands and tribes. At the heart of this change was greed, greed for furs in Europe and greed for trade goods in the northeast. Some of the earliest written records that exist concerning the //nish-nah-bah// people and their dealings with “light-skinned people” have to do with the Treaty of Montreal, a document detailing the peaceful business relationships between France, for the benefit of French merchants, and the tribes in the northeast. The treaty took over four years to conclude, with the peace lasting only a few months in some instances. From the European standpoint, lucrative fur trade between merchants in France and tribes in the northeast equaled economic superiority over the Russian merchants who were trading with tribes in the far northwest, Alaska and western Canada. Early traders introduced finely woven cloth, porcelain beads, metal cookware, and other items not formerly available to the //nish-nah-bah// people. As predicted, the trader’s greed for tanned hides surpassed the sustainable harvest utilization of the pelts. After less than two centuries, the beaver had been nearly decimated in the northeast, as had the otter in the far northwest. The most ominous part of the fourth prophecy foretold of poisoned water and fish. This must have been very difficult for the //nish-nah-bah// people to comprehend. The water that came from the skies and the oceans had cleansed the earth since before the beginning of time. It was unthinkable that water, the cleansing agent itself, could become so polluted that it proved a toxic host. It has taken a few hundred years longer for that part of the prophecy to come true, but it has. Not just in North America, but all across the globe, fish die in huge quantities due to the pollution in the waters. // The fifth prophet said in the time of this prediction, // // “A great struggle will grip the lives of all nish-nah-bah-k. // // As the fires grow dimmer, // // there will come one black robe who is going to promise joy and salvation. // // If the people accept this promise of the new way and abandon the old teachings, // // then the struggle will be with the people for many, many generations // // and cause a near destruction of the people. // ”    Kennekuk, a Kickapoo man who succumbed to the ravages of alcohol at a young age, met a Christian who told about a Good Book, the Bible, in which all transgressions are forgiven by a loving and just god. Kennekuk learned about the teachings of the Christian scriptures and wanted salvation for his people. He stopped drinking and became a leader. He professed assimilation, learning the ways of the Europeans, and accepted their belief in Christianity. He stressed that in order for the people to survive, they would have to adjust their lives to be in accordance with the teachings of the Christian Bible. He drew hundreds of followers from within the Kickapoo and Potawatomi Nations. Kennekuk led a band of followers from their homelands in the Great Lakes area into northeast Kansas to become farmers, as his mentor had taught him. As Kennekuk lived only a few generations ago, descendants of the people who followed him to Kansas still practice the blended form of Christianity he taught. There are stories, though, that relate Kennekuk’s change of heart near the end of his life. He returned to Wisconsin to visit his relatives who had remained in that area. His Christian mentor had said the people would be safe as long as they remained peaceful and adapted to the lifestyle of the settlers. He was dismayed to find that the homes that had belonged to his Kickapoo and Potawatomi relatives had been either burned to the ground or sold by his former mentor, the Christian. Too late, he denounced Christianity and returned to traditional beliefs. By that time, over forty tumultuous years had passed, and his earlier teachings had taken hold of the Kickapoo people in Kansas. In that way, the fifth prophecy had come to fruition. // In the time of the sixth prediction, // // it will be evident that the black robe came in a false way. // // Those that were deceived by his promises would take their children away // // from the teachings of the elders and turn them against the same elders. // // In this way the old people will lose their will for living // // as they will have lost their purpose in life. // // This is the era when the sickness came to the people. // // The sixth prophecy came true when the children were taken from parents // // and sent to boarding schools for extended periods of time. //    Kennekuk’s legacy came to fulfill the sixth prophecy. Since written historical documents include the time of his leadership, he signed the peace treaty with the United States in 1816 for the Vermillion Band of Kickapoo, Kennekuk’s influence is recognized as one of the driving forces behind the land cessions of 1819. However, Kennekuk was not even consulted regarding land cessions. It was common knowledge that he would not agree to cede land. His followers had taken his teachings and inferred that he meant to assimilate the tribe. The treaty was signed, and the people lost their land. It is said that Kennekuk died a sad man, knowing that he was the instrument the precipitated the near destruction of the Kickapoo and Potawatomi people. All of the predictions have come true. The sickness that had been foreseen is now known as depression. For many years now, //nish-nah-bah// people suffer from this debilitating illness. The purpose of the //nish-nah-bah// people has been subverted; no longer do the people keep the fires, the laws, given as a gift from the Creator. People who have no purpose to live do not want to live. That is how the people have been nearly destroyed. The residence school era has slowly dwindled down to only a few hundred //nish-nah-bah// children having to spend their most crucial educational years away from their homes. That legacy, however, will continue for as many generations as it takes for the people to regain their purpose, if they will at all. // For by the time these children returned to their homes, // // they had lost their native tongue, their native language // // as they had been indoctrinated into an arrogant society. // // They would no longer listen to anyone. // // We still see evidence of this today. //    This part of the prophecy deals with the language. While in boarding school, //nish-nah-bah// children were beaten when they spoke the language of their parents and grandparents. Two or more generations of People learned to equate their language with pain and sorrow; consequently, the language slowly diminished in use. When a language is lost, a world view is lost. Today, language revitalization programs have been initiated in several communities, but the reversal process moves much more slowly than the loss process. // The seventh prophet was different than the others. // // He was younger. And in this time of prophecy, // // a new people would emerge who would retrace their steps // // to see what was left along the trail. // // These steps would take them back to the others asking for guidance. // // Some of the elders would have nothing to offer now. // // They had been asleep too long, // // and the new people would learn how to be cautious // // when they approach the elders. //   As it unfolds, current times reflect the Seventh Prophecy. The People who now are becoming self-aware are affected by this last prophecy. Some //nish-nah-bah// feel a sense of urgency with regard to regaining their heritage, others take whatever time is available and use it to rediscover the past. Over many years, Indigenous Knowledge has been increasingly devalued. The earliest contact between //nish-nah-bah// and European peoples reflects ideological clashes and misunderstandings that resulted in the near destruction in the form of genocide. The four nations of Indigenous People who reside within the political boundaries of the State of Kansas in 2008 have survived to live out these prophecies. This story has endeavored to share beliefs rarely written for a non-native audience. Every attempt has been made to write the truth, at least as far as it is known to date. Indigenous stories rarely find their way into print; they were given to tell. This has now become a shared story. Now you know.

( PLEASE FLUSH LEFT THE TITLE WITH MY NAME UNDER IT. PLEASE BOLD THE TITLE. NO INDENTIONS. THANKS. )

Dan the Man: the Dog from 7 Bells Sanctuary in Cole Camp, Missouri by Melodie Harris

Your warm, black fur comforts me. Your low waddle and wagging tail greet me happily. Your precious eyes help mend the sorrow in my heart. Sure, your shyness and apprehension of others concerns me, but your presence wherever I go pushes away the loneliness I still often feel of the one who used to do the same. You roll onto your back. Your front feet, wide as duck’s paws, paddle like a baby’s arms grasping for a crib mobile. You offer your belly for my pettin’s. And Lexy would be pleased that I oblige.